


509. My own reason

by SevlinRipley



Category: It - All Media Types, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Cold Weather, Established Relationship, Holding Hands, Holidays, Lap-sitting, M/M, Public Display of Affection, Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 21:50:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16462991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevlinRipley/pseuds/SevlinRipley
Summary: Prompt: "first holiday as couple"





	509. My own reason

"Alright my gorgeous little Hanukkah-celebrating boyfriend, let's get the run-down of December. You know I have _some_ previous experience, what with Stan, but like, honestly I never paid that much attention. I know: Menorah, dreidel, and... latkes. But I really wan -"

"Baby," Will said, eyes bright, as he folded his hand over Richie's across the cafe table. "Before you get too excited, we really... don't do much in my family. Like, at most we we light the Menorah and have some chocolate coins. You probably saw more of Hanukkah with Stanley than you ever will with us."

He didn't want to put a damper on Richie's spirits, but he was fairly certain he'd already explained that for the most part, growing up in Hawkins, they'd sort-of only half indulged in Hanukkah, half in Christmas. Neither holiday the picture of a Norman Rockwell painting.

...If _even_ half, honestly. They could afford one gift each, a small turkey or ham, some chocolate and some oranges... A string or two of lights, and their thrifted outerwear for the cold.

In fact, they really didn't start doing _anything_ Hanukkah-related until after his dad left. Lonnie wasn't really into the whole... thing. And while he'd sometimes nailed a wreath to their front door, any other suggestions were met with dead eyes and a lot of, 'What? It's not good enough for you that I work all hours of the day? Then I gotta come home and throw up some cheap fuckin' trinkets revolving around a dead guy and one that doesn't even exist?'

There had been times when Will would get the two confused. The Christmas he'd whispered, wide-eyed, to Mike, at school, that he thought _Santa_ might be dead, had been - problematic.

Joyce had, of course, tried to remind Lonnie it was 'for the kids' but _his_ kids didn't need bullshit in their lives, _nor_ did they need to become little Consumer Joe's who thought _things_ were what made a man. 'Hard work, Joyce. That's what they need to learn, and you're spoilin' 'em.'

"Sorry," Will added, squeezing at Richie's hand, watching carefully to see just how crest-fallen Richie might get.

Thankfully, he had only paused, and then smiled again, just as wide and bright as before. "Yeah, but now it's up to us, so do you _want_ to celebrate it some more? I thought you might know a little, at least, about what you _haven't_ been doing, but if you want, I could totally bribe Stan into teaching us. We can go as hard as you want, or not at all. Whatever."

"Oh," Will said, softly, thumbing over the back of Richie's hand, chest warmed by Richie's thoughtfulness. Will hadn't much considered the idea of altering traditions once he'd left home. Truthfully, he'd imagined a rather bleak holiday, apart from visiting his mother on the first and last days of Hanukkah, or even just Christmas Day. And that was _if_ he lived close enough to Hawkins.

When he'd gotten accepted to University at Buffalo, in New York, he had considered being able to return home for the whole of break, if his job would allow him the break. But he was rather coldly informed that if he left for any day other than Christmas, which everyone had off, he wouldn't have a job to come back to. So it was out of the question if Will wanted to be able to eat next semester.

Richie had found himself in a similar position, and Will felt a little guilty that he'd been happy for the news. He didn't want to be the kind of person who'd choose his own happiness over his partner's, but he'd be lying if he said he wished to spend the holidays alone in their dorm room.

Although Richie's financial situation wasn't quite as strained as Will's, he was money conscious enough not to want to waste time trying to find another job along with hundreds of other students upon returning for the Spring semester. And, Richie had confided, spooning up behind Will, half-asleep, he'd been reluctant to leave his 'boyfriend's cute ass unattended for a whole two weeks' and given Will's butt a healthy squeeze before kissing the back of his neck.

He'd been joking about the idea of Will finding someone else, or just plain growing apart from Richie in that amount of time, Will knew. It was just his way of saying, 'I think I'd miss you too much,' without sounding like a sap.

"Is Stan sticking around here for the holidays?" Will asked, pressing his feet up against Richie's under the table, looking passed the gleam of lights in Richie's lenses.

Richie nodded looking half in a daze before he snapped into action, lifting Will's hand up to his mouth, kiss at the back of it warm lips to cool skin. "Baby," he said, like he was interrupting himself, "You're cold." His mouth even turned down at that, brows dipping together.

Will couldn't help a soft smile at that, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. When he was drinking his hot chocolate it felt warm enough, but just as it was going down. The second it hit his stomach, he was cold again. Not that he was used to anything else. Will felt cold more often than not. The heat in his blood, in his body, quick to seek out other surfaces to seep into. "I'm fine, really," Will told him. "Stan?" he asked, trying to remind Richie of the topic at hand, so that he wouldn't feel fussed over.

"Ah, ah, no way cute stuff. You want my jacket?" Richie asked, reaching over the table to grab Will's other hand up, before pressing them together between both of his. Richie's hands easily enveloped Will's, big and warm. Relief immediately began spreading up Will's skin, up under his coat-sleeves, even.

With an expression that said Richie was being adorably silly, Will softly replied, " _You_ need your jacket. I'm fine."

Richie arched one brow at him then. The second use of, 'I'm fine' in a situation where his body clearly disagreed. "Fine," Richie said, mocking, as he smirked, eyes warm and mischievous. "I'm glad _you're_ fine. But _I'm_ cold." Will's eyes narrowed at that, hesitant to return Richie's smile.

"Oh, yeah?" Will asked suspicion in his voice, making it thick in his throat.

"Mhm. Freezing," Richie said, gently extracting his hands from beneath and over the top of Will's, by placing them around Will's still-warm drink. Only temporarily, of course, because then he was moving around the table, and shoving at the leg of the chair with his snow boot. The loud sound of the leg scraping across the floor had Will's brows raising, and flush rising on his cheeks, hands naturally coming to brace himself on the arms of the chair.

"Rich -" He didn't have to finish asking what Richie was doing, because then he was slotting himself over the top of Will's lap, knees at hips, and then moving his hands from Will's shoulders, down the lengths of his arms, to urge them into wrapping around Richie's middle, underneath his own coat. "Baby," Will whispered, still embarrassed despite the fact that few people had turned to look at them even when the chair first screeched at Richie's insistence.

"Look, kid, not my fault. If you're fine, then I'm cold. Don't you wanna help me be warmer?" Richie asked, still wrestling to do what he wanted in the cramped space he was now in. Will rolled his eyes, but wrapped his hands around his wrists at the small of Richie's back, anyway, immediately soaking up the body warmth that had caught in the fabric of Richie's sweater and coat alike. Didn't even bother objecting when Richie pressed his palm to the back of Will's head, and pushed him into Richie's chest while his over-sized coat got wrapped around Will's shoulders, and Richie finally sank down, satisfied.

Sighing, Will pressed the ice cold tip of his nose into Richie's neck, and closed his eyes, mostly hidden from view of the world at large, this way. "You're so ridiculous," Will mumbled, feeling his body temperature rise, growing more pleased with Richie's antics by the second.

"Eh, well, you got the first two letters correct, anyway." He punctuated the joke with a kiss to the side of Will's head, before wriggling his arms out from his own sleeves, so that he could hug Will back, within the warm cocoon he'd created. "God, you know what? Thanks for lying about being fine. This is great. This is how we're gonna sit from now on."

Will chuckled softly into Richie's neck. "I love you..." He knew maybe he should object, since they probably looked pretty stupid. But he couldn't deny that this felt a million times better. And when, really, was there ever a _good_ reason not to have Richie in his lap? "Can you focus now, Rich? Is Stan in New York for the holidays?"

"Oh! Right! We gotta get our Jewish on! _Yes_ ," Richie said, dipping his face in to nose at the rim of Will's ear, "Patty's folks live here, so he can totally show us what's what."

Humming in the back of his throat, Will kissed Richie's neck, and tightened the circle of his arms around Richie's center. "Well, not saying I wanna go all-out or anything, but it'd be cool to learn some stuff. Is that alright?"

"More than alright. No offense, baby, but thank god you couldn't get home this year."

Will snorted, but nodded in agreement anyway. "How long're we gonna stay like this, exactly?"

"Til closing."

"Oh," Will said, nonplussed, "So like, ten more hours?"

"At least."

"Cool."

"Love you, too, Will..."

**Author's Note:**

> Ha my writing sucks, but oh well, at least I did it ♥ I love them ;_;


End file.
